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USINESS      OUSES 

OF 

The    ETHODIST    OOK 
ONCERN 


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Detroit 


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THE  MAKING  OF 
A  BOOK 


THE    METHODIST    BOOK    CONCERN 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 

Chicago     Boston     Pittsburgh     Kansas  City- 
Detroit       San  Francisco 


The  Making  Of  A  Book 

THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN  is  the 
oldest  publishing  house  in  the  United  States. 
It  has  manufacturing  plants  in  New  York,  Cin- 
cinnati, and  Chicago — plants  that  have  machinery 
and  equipment  the  first  cost  of  which  amounts  to 
$90^2,741.6^2.  The  making  of  books  is  only  one 
branch  of  the  business  of  this  great  publishing 
house.  The  manufacture  and  sale  of  Sunday 
school  literature  is  much  larger  than  that  of 
books.  The  making  of  books,  however,  should  be 
of  interest  to  all  readers  of  books.  The  following 
is  a  brief  description  of  how  this  is  done. 

In  The  Methodist  Book  Concern  all  manu- 
scripts considered  for  publication  are  first  sub- 
mitted to  the  Book  Editor  for  review,  and  he 
recommends  certain  of  these  for  pub-  The 

lication  to  the  Publishing  Agents,  who.  Manuscript 
in  consultation  with  the  Book  Editor,  pass  on  the 
manuscripts  that  have  been  favorably  reported. 
Then  an  order  is  given  to  the  Manufacturing  De- 
partment to  make  electrotype  plates  of  the  manu- 
script, and  instructions  as  to  the  size  type  to  be 
used,  the  size  of  printed  page,  the  size  of  the 
trimmed  book,  and  such  other  details  necessary 
for  the  information  of  the  printer  and  binder. 

313960 


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HmM     I-  '    '•'  I 


THE   MAKING   OF  A   BOOK 

After  the  ordor  has  been  entered  in  the  office 
of  the  Manufacturing  Department,  another  order 
is  issued  to  the  various  departments  having  to  do 
with  the  making  of  the  hook,  giving  Setting 

exphcit  instructions  as  to  every  detail  ^^^  '^^^^ 
the  department  nuist  know.  The  foreman  of  the 
Composing  Room  receives  the  manuscript,  exam- 
ines it  carefully  as  to  its  being  complete,  and 
numbers  all  the  pages  seriatim.  It  is  then  given 
to  the  operator,  either  Linotype  or  Monotype,  and 
the  entire  manuscript  is  put  in  type.  The  product 
of  the  machines  is  placed  on  galleys,  and  galley- 
proofs  taken  of  the  matter.  The  galley-proofs, 
with  manuscript,  or  copy,  are  sent  to  the  proof- 
reader, where  the  proof  is  read — a  copyholder 
reading  aloud  from  the  manuscript  to  the  reader. 
The  galley -proofs  then  are  passed  to  another 
reader,  who  reads  the  i)roofs  silently.  The  proofs 
now  go  back  to  the  operator  to  make  the  correc- 
tions. If  the  errors  are  numerous,  a  "revise"  is 
taken  of  the  galleys,  and  this  "revise,"  with  the 
first  proof,  is  sent  to  the  proofreader  so  that  he 
may  see  that  all  errors  marked  in  the  first  proof 
have  been  corrected.  The  matter  on  the  galleys 
is  then  made  up  into  pages  of  equal  length,  and 
page-proofs  sent  to  the  proofreader.  AYhen  tlu^ 
page-proofs  have  been  corrected,  a  set  of  these  is 
taken  for  the  author  or  book  editor,  who  is  given 
an  opportunity  to  read  the  manuscript  in  printed- 
page  form.     AVhen  these  proofs  are  returned,  the 


THE    MAKING    OF   A    HOOK 

corrections  and  changes  marked  by  the  author 
are  made,  and  a  final  "revise"  sent  to  the  proof- 
reader. Before  sending  the  pages — locked  up  in 
forms,  with  guard-hnes  around  every  page — into 
the  Electrotype  Foundry,  a  reserve-proof  set  of 
the  forms  is  taken,  showing  just  how  these  forms 
left  the  composing  room  for  the  electrotype 
foundry. 

Cases  are  prepared  in  the  electrotype  foundry 
by  pouring  melted  ozokerite  wax  on  slabs,  or 
plates,  of  copper.  This  wax  is  shaved  to  an  even 
thickness,  and  covered  with  graphite.  Electrotype 
An  impression  of  the  book  form  is  now  Plate 

made  by  the  molder  in  the  wax  case.  A  hydraulic 
press  is  used  for  this  purpose.  After  the  impres- 
sion is  made,  the  raised  wax  is  cut  down  by  the 
molder,  and  the  mold  flashed  with  a  gas  flame. 
The  "case"  is  now  passed  to  the  builder,  who 
"builds  up"  with  wax  all  the  places  in  the  mold 
that  are  to  be  "low"  in  the  plate,  and  it  is  then 
put  into  the  black-leader,  where  it  is  polished 
with  graphite.  It  is  now  "stopped  off,"  or  all 
places  where  there  is  to  be  no  deposit  of  copper 
are  painted  with  melted  wax,  as  copper  will  only 
deposit  where  there  is  graphite,  which  is  a  con- 
ductor of  electricity.  The  case  is  now  washed 
with  water  to  get  all  air  out  of  tlie  inij)ression 
made.  AYhile  the  water  is  still  on  the  case,  a 
weak  solution  of  sulphate  of  copper  is  j)oured  on 
it,  and  iron  filings  sifted  into  the  solution,  which 


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THE    MAKING   OF   A   BOOK 

precipitates  the  copper  in  the  sohition  on  that 
part  of  the  case  poHshed  with  graphite,  and 
spreads  a  thin  fihn  of  coi)per  over  all.  The  case 
is  then  hung  from  copper  rods  in  a  solution  of 
sulphate  of  copper,  opposite  copper  anodes,  also 
suspended  from  copper  rods.  The  case,  or  mold, 
becomes  the  cathode.  A  generator-dynamo  is 
used  to  generate  the  current  required  for  the  plat- 
ing i)rocess.  A  115  volt  current  goes  into  the 
generator,  and  this  is  transformed  into  a  three  to 
six  volt  ciu-rent  in  the  dynamo,  and  a  current  of 
this  voltage  is  used  for  plating  or  depositing  cop- 
per on  the  cases.  The  electric  current  passes 
through  the  anodes  and  the  solution  to  the 
cathodes,  and  deposits  copper  from  the  anodes 
and  out  of  the  solution  on  the  cases,  which  re- 
main in  the  vat  until  a  shell  of  about  .005  of  an 
inch  in  thickness  is  formed.  This  shell  is  re- 
moved from  the  wax  with  hot  water,  and  sent  to 
the  backing  room,  where  the  under  side  of  the 
shell  is  tinned,  and  then  backed  up  with  metal 
about  three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  In  the 
finishing  room  the  cast  is  cut  into  pages,  and  then 
put  through  the  "rougher,"  which  gives  the  plate 
a  rough  uniform  thickness.  The  under  side  of 
the  plate  is  then  hammered  wherever  the  face 
may  be  low,  and  the  face  of  the  plate  brought  to 
an  even  surface.  The  plate  now  passes  through 
the  "rougher"  a  second  time,  and  then  through 
the  sliaving  machine,   where  the  ])late  is  sluived 

9 


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i 

THE   MAKING   OF   A   BOOK 

to  the  thickness  required  for  ])rinting — less  tlian 

one-sixth  of  an  inch  thick.     The  guard  Hues  are 

now  removed,  and  the  plate  beveled  so  that  it 

can  be  clamped  to  a  patent  block. 

When  the  plates  for  a  book  are  ready  for  the 

press,  the  make-up  man  provides  a  form  of  patent 

l)locks  on  which  the  plates  are  to  be  clamped  when 

on  the  ])ress.     This  form  will  contain 

,  .  •  P  The  Form 

sixteen,  thirty-two,  or  sixty -tour  patent 
})locks,  governed  by  the  size  of  the  sheet  of  paper 
or  the  size  of  the  book  to  be  printed.  After  one 
form  has  been  printed,  the  plates  are  removed 
from  the  blocks,  on  the  press,  and  others  put  in 
their  places,  and  so  on  until  the  presswork  of  the 
entire  book  is  completed. 

The  make-ready  on  the  press  requires  some 
time.  The  first  impression  made,  at  times,  is 
hardly  readable.  One  would  think  that,  with  tlie 
care  exercised  in  the  electrotype  foun-  «,  .  «  . 
dry,  hardly  any  make-ready  would  be 
necessary;  but  such  is  not  the  case.  The  pressman 
takes  an  impression  of  the  form,  and  such  por- 
tions of  the  plates  as  are  low  in  this  impression 
are  then  underlaid.  Another  impression  is  now 
taken  of  the  form,  and  an  overlay  prepared.  The 
pressman  holds  the  reverse  side  of  the  sheet  to  a 
strong  light,  and  marks  a  number  of  circles  to 
indicate  to  his  assistant  the  thicknesses  of  tissue 
})aper  required  to  bring  the  impression  up  evenly. 
The   assistant   pastes   on   these   tissues,    and    I  lie 

11 


THE    MAKING    OF   A    BOOK 

overlay  is  then  liung  on  the  cyhnder  of  tlie  press 
exactly  over  the  pages  of  the  form.  With  this  in 
])osition,  another  inij)ression  of  the  form  is  made 
and  submitted  to  the  foreman  for  approval.  If 
the  make-ready  is  all  right,  the  i)ress  is  ready  to 
run.  If  not,  a  spot-sheet  is  i)repare(l  to  bring  uj) 
any  defects  that  are  apparent  in  the  proof.  A 
sheet  of  paper  is  printed  on  one  side  first,  then 
turned  and  printed  on  the  other  side.  The  press- 
man folds  this  sheet,  printed  on  both  sides,  to 
make  sure  that  the  plates  are  laid  right  and  that 
the  register  is  perfect. 

]Most  books  are  printed  on  paper  that  will 
"work  and  turn,"  or,  in  other  words,  one  side  is 
printed   on   a   given   number   of   sheets   of  paper 

and  then  the  other  side  printed  from 

.  Paper 

the  same  form.     The  pages  are  so  laid 

that  if  page  one  should  be  to  the  extreme  left  of 

the  form,  page  two,  which  backs  page  one  in  the 

printed  book,  will  be  on  the  extreme  right  of  the 

form.     All  forms  are  imposed  for  certain  folding 

machines,  some  of  these  folding  the  sheet  at  right 

angles  and  others  in  parallel  folds. 

The    printing    press    is    a    wonderful    ])iece    of 

machinery.     It  must  be  rigid  to  make  an  even 

impression.      The    form    and    the    cylinder    nuist 

measure  exactly  the  same.     Should  tlu^  The  Printing 

cylinder  be  smaller  or  larger,  this  will  Press 

show  after  a  few  impressions  by  the  wear  on  the 

form.     The  ink  flow  can  be  conlrolliMl  l)y  llumib- 

13 


THE   MAKING   OF   A   BOOK 

screws  set  against  a  ''knife,"  or  blade  of  steel,  and 
also  by  a  ratchet  controlling  the  distance  the 
fonntain  roller  is  to  tnrn.  For  cnts  a  special  over- 
lay is  i)repared.  A  mechanical  overlay  is  now 
used  instead  of  the  hand-cut  overlay  of  years  ago. 
The  blacks  or  lights  of  a  cut  are  controlled  by  the 
impression.  The  greater  the  pressure  at  a  given 
l)oint,  the  darker  or  blacker  that  point  will  appear, 
although  the  light  and  dark  places  are  covered 
with  exactly  the  same  amount  of  ink. 

The  paper  used  in  the  printing  of  a  book  will 
have  its  effect  in  the  result  of  the  presswork. 
While  type  will  print  on  a  rough-surfaced  paper, 
satisfactory  results  in  the  printing  of  cuts  cannot 
be  obtained  on  such  a  paper.  All  half-tone  cuts 
should  be  printed  on  a  paper  having  a  smooth 
surface.  The  sheets  printed  on  the  flat-bed  press, 
if  turned  on  the  press,  are  also  cut  on  the  press. 
There  is  a  slitter  on  the  press  that  cuts  the  sheet 
in  -two  as  the  second  side  is  printed.  The  printed 
sheets,  when  the  ink  is  dry,  are  sent  to  the  Bindery, 
where  they  are  folded. 

Having  received  the  flat  sheets,  printed  on  both 
sides,  from  the  Press  Room,  the  first  operation  in 
the  binding  of  a  book  is  the  folding  of  the  sheets 
into   signatures,    or   sections.      If   the  Folding 

boo-k  is  printed  on  heavy  i)a])er,   the 
book  has  been  so  made  up  as  to  fold  in  sixteen-page 
sections;     if   printed   on   a   lightweight   or   India 
paper,  the  printing  has  been  so  arranged  that  the 

15 


THE    MAKING    OF   A    BOOK 

sheets  will  fold  in  thirty-two-page  signatures. 
Practically  all  the  folding  is  now  done  by  the  aid 
of  folding  machines.  These  are  built  to  fold 
sheets  as  small  as  two  and  one-half  inches  wide 
and  three  and  three-quarters  inches  high  up  to  a 
sheet  the  size  of  a  large  Bible  with  a  width  of 
twelve  or  fourteen  inches  and  a  height  of  sixteen 
to  twenty  inches.  Some  machines  are  called 
double  sixteens,  and  w^ill  fold  the  sheet  and  de- 
liver it  in  two  receptacles,  sixteen-page  sections  in 
each.  A  larger  machine  is  called  a  quadruple 
folder,  and  will  deliver  four  sixteen-page  or  two 
thirty-two-page  signatures,  or  sections,  in  each 
revolution. 

If  the  book  is  illustrated,  the  illustrations,  as  a 
rule,  are  })rinted  separately  on  coated  paper,  and 
are  pasted  in  the  section  as  indicated  by  the  list 
of  illustrations.  All  these  sections  are 
taken  from  the  folding  machines  to  the 
pasting  department,  wdiere  the  operators  ''fan  out" 
the  single  illustrations  so  that  they  are  separated 
about  one-eighth  of  an  inch.  This  width  has  a 
thin  coating  of  paste  applied  and  is  then  placed 
on  the  sheet,  where  it  will  adhere  very  firmly  in  a 
few  hours.  All  books  have  a  four-page  end  of 
waste  paper  attached  to  the  first  and  last  section 
of  the  book;  these  are  attached  in  nuich  the  same 
manner  as  are  the  illustrations. 

The  different  sections,  perfect  in   themselves, 
are  now  ready  to  be  assembled   into  n   ix'rfecled 

17 


THE    MAKING   OF   A    BOOK 

book.     This  operation  is  called  oailuMiii<>  and  col- 
latin"'.      The   averace   book   runs   from 

,111  n         ^  Gathering 

three  hundred  and  twenty  to  nve  hun- 
dred pages.  A  i)orter  brings  the  different  sections, 
in  the  shape  of  bundles  of  five  hundred  signatures 
each,  to  the  gathering  table,  untying  and  placing 
them  on  a  table,  and  arranging  them  in  what  is 
known  as  a  lay-out.  Thus  the  first  pile  consists  of 
section  pages  one  to  sixteen;  the  second,  seven- 
teen to  thirty-two;  the  third,  thirty-three  to 
forty-eight,  and  so  on  to  the  last  pile.  The  gath- 
erer starts  at  the  first  section  and  lifts  one  sig- 
nature from  that  pile,  and  so  on  to  the  last  pile, 
reversing  the  operation,  starting  with  the  last 
signature  back  to  signature  one,  and  so  on,  back- 
ward and  forward,  until  the  entire  layout  has  been 
gathered. 

The  next  operation  is  that  of  sewing.  This  is 
performed  by  a  very  ingenious  machine  known  as 
a  Smythe  sewer,  consisting  of  four  revolving  arms 
on  a  shaft  which  swing  around  at  a 

Sewing 

rate  oi  from  lorty  to  seventy  move- 
ments per  minute.  The  operator  merely  finds  the 
center  of  the  section  of  the  book  and  hangs  it  to 
the  revolving  arms,  which  then  engage  with  other 
mechanism  in  the  head  of  the  machine  and  make  a 
perfect  lockstitch  with  from  one  to  five  ciu'ved 
needles,  as  may  be  required  by  the  size  for  the 
sewing  of  the  book. 

The  sewed  books  are  taken  to  a  book-li-iinmei', 
19 


THE    MAKING   OF   A    HOOK 

or  cutting  inachiiKs  wliore  they  aiv  clampod  in  I  lie 
machine  in  i)iles  about  six  inches  liigh,  and  I  lie 
heads,  sides,  and  foot  of  the  books  are  . 

trinnned  by  descending  knives  with  a 
shear  motion.     The  ])ooks  are  now  ])erfectly  flat 
and  square  on  the  back,  front,  head,  and  fool. 

If  the  books  are  to  have  their  edges  gikk^d,  they 
are  taken  from  the  cutting  table  to  tlie  gilding 
room.  Here  they  are  tightly  clamped  in  rows  in  a 
press   resting   on    a   wood   table,   with  Gilding 

a  box  underneath.  When  the  books 
have  been  tightly  comi^ressed  between  the  ends, 
or  cheeks,  of  the  press,  the  operator  sandpapers 
the  edges  very  smoothly  and  supplements  this  by 
scraping  the  edges  with  a  disk  of  steel  with  sharj) 
edges.  A  coating  of  diluted  albumen  is  apjilied, 
and  while  still  damp  sheets  of  gold-leaf  are  laid  on 
until  the  edges  of  the  books  on  the  top  of  ])ress 
are  covered.  He  then  takes  a  wooden  handle  with 
a  flat  agate  burnisher  fastened  in  the  end,  and 
rubs  it  very  forcibly  over  the  edges  with  a  i)iece 
of  linen  paper  under  the  burnisher.  The  gold-leaf 
now  adheres  to  the  edges,  but  is  very  dull.  To 
brighten  the  gold,  he  takes  another  burnisher  and 
rubs  over  the  gold-leaf  on  the  surface  of  the 
books,  but  without  using  the  linen  i)aper.  The 
books  are  now  ready  to  be  taken  out  of  the  i)ress 
with  one  end  gilded.  If  the  book  is  to  have  full- 
gilt  edges,  the  above  described  oi)eration  has  to 
be  re])eated  thrcH'  tinu\s. 

^21 


THE  :maktxg  of  a  book 

The  ])ooks  are  now  all  lurned  one  way,  witli 
their  baeks  toward  the  workman,  who  applies  a 
coat  of  hot  flexihk^  <'lue  to  the  hack.  Alter  the 
glue  has  set,  the  books  are  read}^  for  Rounding 
the  rounding  and  backing  machine.  A  ^"**  Backing 
])air  of  rollers  works  in  front  of  a  flat  feed-table, 
tlie  lower  one  merely  revolving  on  its  axis,  while 
the  up])er  I'oller  rises  and  falls  uniformly  at  a  rate 
of  about  eleven  times  a  minute.  The  book  is 
j)laced  in  the  machine,  and  as  the  rollers  revolve, 
they  force  the  book  to  become  convex  in  the 
back  and  concave  in  the  front.  When  the  book 
has  passed  through  the  rollers,  and  before  it  is  re- 
leased, a  pair  of  beveled  jaws  clamp  the  book 
about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  from  the  back,  a 
heavy  concave  steel  rolls  back  and  forth  over  the 
back  of  the  book  and  forces  the  hrst  and  last  sec- 
tions over  beveled  clamps,  forming  a  joint  from 
the  flat  of  the  book,  against  which  the  covers  rest. 

To  strengthen  the  book,  the  back  is  glued  with 
flexible  glue  and  a  piece  of  suj)ers,  or  cheese  cloth, 
extending  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  over 
the  side,  is  attached,  and  a  head  and  Head  Banding 
tail  piece,  known  as  a  headband,  at  ®"^  Lining 
the  top  and  foot.  The  headband  is  made  of 
calico,  silesia,  silk,  or  any  other  kind  of  woven 
fabric.  I'he  back  of  the  book  then  receives  another 
coating  of  flexible  glue  over  the  cheese  cloth,  and 
a  piece  of  strong  manila  ])aper  the  width  of  I  lie 
back  of  the  book  from  joint   to  joint.   l)nl    a    little 

^3 


WackinV 


TIIK    MAKIXC;    OF    A    HOOK 

shorter  than  tho  len^tli  of  I  lie  hook,  is  fasloiiod 
over  tlie  eheese  ck)lli  willi  paste.  The  Ijook  is 
now  ready  for  a  eover  or  ease. 

The  Hrst  operation  in  niakin<;"  a  ease,  or  l)o()k 
cover,  is  to  cnt  the  hoards  to  the  size  re(|uire(l  for 
the  hook.  This  is  done  on  a  niaeliine  havin*;-  a 
series  of  round,  heNeknl  knives  on  two  case 

revoh'in<;'  shafts.    The  cloth,  coming  in  Making 

rolls  from  thirty-six  to  forty  inches  wide  and  from 
thirty-six  to  seventy-two  yards  long,  is  then  cut 
on  an  ingenious  machine,  where  slitters  cut  the 
cloth  lengthwise  and  a  straight  knife,  with  a  shear 
motion,  cuts  the  cloth  at  right  angles  to  the  re- 
volving knives.  The  cloth  is  now  clam})ed  and 
the  corners  sheared  off  diagonally.  The  case- 
making  machine  heing  adjusted  properly,  the 
cloth  is  placed  to  the  left  of  the  operator,  and  the 
boards  in  two  hop])ers.  The  operator  then  ])laces 
the  cloth  on  the  top  of  a  revolving  brass  cylinder, 
small  fingers  holding  it  fast.  The  cylinder,  re- 
volving, brings  the  cloth  in  contact  with  another 
cylinder  revolving  in  a  trough  of  glue,  thus  a])ply- 
ing  glue  to  the  reverse  side  of  the  cloth.  The 
cloth  is  now  removed  mechanically,  glued  side  up, 
from  the  cylinder  to  a  platfoi'in,  and  Ihe  binder's 
boards  placed  on  the  cloth  l)y  rubber-suction  de- 
vices; a  paper  l)ack-lining  has  also  l)een  cut  from 
a  roll  and  placed  Ix'tween  the  l)()ards  on  (he  cloth. 
Two  steel  l)ars  now  force  I  he  ends  of  the  cloth 
over  and  on  the  boards,  at  the  same  time  making 


THE    MAKLNC.    OF    A    1U)()K 

a  tuck  in  the  clolli;  then  aiiolluM-  paii-  ol'  folding 
l)ars  re])eat  the  turniii.i»-in  ()j)erali()n,  and  the  ease 
is  (h'awn  on  the  lop  of  a  flat  riil)l)er-haii',  a  fhit  steel 
top  descending  and  pressing  the  hoards  and  ghied 
cloth  firmly  together.  The  finished  case  is  then 
drawn  out  by  rollers  and  deposited  on  a  platform. 

Before  fastening  the  hook  into  the  cover  it  is 
necessary  to  stamj)  tlie  title  on  the  cover.  This  is 
<ione  either  with  hcjuid  ink,  leaf-ink,  or  gokl-leaf. 
If  ink  is  used,  the  process  is  similar  to  inking  and 
that  of  printing  on  paper.  If  gokl  is  Stamping 
used,  the  brass  die  of  the  lettering  or  ornamenta- 
tion is  fastened  to  the  top  of  a  stamping  press,  the 
to])  being  heated.  The  surface  of  the  cloth  re- 
ceives a  very  mucli  diluted  coating  of  albumen. 
When  this  is  thoroughly  dry,  the  cloth  is  rubbed 
with  a  ])iece  of  canton  flannel  containing  olive  oil, 
the  gold-leaf  laid  on  that  portion  of  the  cover  to 
be  ornamented,  and  the  cover  then  fed  into  the 
stam])ing  press,  where  it  is  pressed  against  the  die 
in  the  heated  head.  Wherever  the  hot  die  touches 
the  gold-leaf  will  adhere  firmly;  and  the  surplus 
gold-leaf  is  rubbed  oft*  and  carefully  saved. 

We  now  have  book  and  cover  ready  to  be  joined 
together.  This  operation  is  now  i)erformed  by  the 
aid  of  machinery.  The  i)rincipal  parts  of  the 
machine  now  generally  used  are  a  maga-  Casing-in 
zine  Tor  holding  the  case,  Ihree  revolv-  Machine 

ing  and  ascending  and  descending  arms,  and  two 
paste  rollers  revohing  in  a  trough  of  paste.     One 

27 


TIIH    MAlvl\(i    OF    A    HOOK 

of  tlic  ()])oral()rs  takes  one  of  a  pile  of  hooks,  opens 
it  at  about  its  ceiilor,  and  lianas  it  on  one  of  the 
revoh  in<i-  arms.  The  machine  makes  a  third  of  a 
revohition,  and  lie  hangs  another  hook  sinn1arl>- 
on  the  second  arm.  In  the  meantime  the  arm  lias 
ascendcMl  and  the  ])astini>'  rollers  hax'c  been  ])r(\ssed 
against  the  book;  by  an  ingenious  motion  I  lie 
back,  or  joint,  of  the  book  received  a  double 
quantity  of  paste.  The  arm  then  begins  to  rise, 
and  the  paste  is  applied  to  the  two  sides  of  the 
book,  front  and  back;  but  just  before  the  book 
})egins  to  rise  with  the  arm,  a  finished  case  has 
l)een  ])ushed  forward  from  the  magazine  and 
rests  with  its  center  directly  over  the  back  of  I  lie 
book;  and  as  the  arm  rises  the  front  and  back  of 
the  case  are  pressed  to  the  side  of  the  book  by 
means  of  tw^o  clamping  rods.  Another  operator 
now  takes  the  pasted  book,  with  the  case  loosely 
attached,  and  places  it  in  a  standing  press,  con- 
sisting of  six  rods  with  a  stationary  bed  and  mov- 
able top  with  screw.  A  smooth  hardwood  board, 
bound  with  a  strip  of  brass  or  aluminum  and  ex- 
tending about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  all  around  on 
both  sides  of  the  board  beyond  the  flat  of  the 
board,  is  used,  and  the  books  placed  on  the  board 
around  the  four  sides,  the  joint  of  the  book  resting 
on  the  thin  strip  of  metal.  Fhis  operation  is  re- 
peated until  the  entire  press  is  built  up,  or  filled. 
'Hie  operator  tlieii  screws  down  the  toj)  of  the 
press  with   the  aid  of  a  long   iron  bar  iiiilil  all  the 


TIIK    MAKI\(;    OF    A    liOOlv 

boards,  with  the  hooks,  are  tightly  chiinpecL  After 
they  have  been  dainpecl  for  from  six  to  twelve 
hours,  the  i)ress  is  unscrewed  and  the  books  taken 
out  and  i)laeed  on  the  examining  and  wrai)|)ing 
table. 

The  first  thing  which  the  examiner  does  is  to 
see  that  the  first  and  last  leaf  have  been  properly 
pasted.  Then  the  title  page  is  examined,  to  see 
that  the  book  has  been  properly  cased  Examining 
in  its  cover.  Finally,  the  paper  jacket.  Wrapping 
or  wra])per,  is  adjusted,  and  the  books  are  then 
l)iled  in  small  enclosed  hand- wagons  and  sent  to 
the  Sales  Department,  ready  for  shipping. 

The  binding  of  a  gilt-edge  circuit  or  Oxford 
style  of  Bible  is  a  branch  of  the  binding  business 
almost  entirely  distinct  from  the  ordinary  bind- 
ing. Almost  all  the  work  of  the  binding  Bible 
of  a  Bible  is  done  by  hand,  without  the  Binding 
aid  of  machinery.  Up  to  the  stage  of  cutting, 
the  binding  is  very  similar;  but  after  that  it 
varies.  Most  of  the  Bibles  are  round-cornered, 
and  have  full-gilded,  red-under-gold  edges.  The 
leather  covers  are  also  made  by  the  most  skilled 
mechanics,  as  all  kinds  of  leather  and  other  ma- 
terial are  used  for  the  covers.  In  leather,  sheep- 
skin, goatskin,  cowhide,  sealskin,  and,  in  fact, 
most  all  kinds  of  leather  made  are  used.  The  sheep- 
skin, calfskin,  silk-cloth,  and  waterproof  colored 
paper  are  used  for  lining  the  inside  of  (lie  cover. 
The  leather  for  the  cover,  after  being  cut  from  the 


THE   MAKING  OF  A   BOOK 

skin,  has  the  edges  skivered  or  pared.  Then  the 
edges  are  treated  to  a  coat  of  paste,  and,  after 
they  have  lain  in  this  state  for  a  time,  to  allow  the 
paste  to  penetrate,  the  workman  is  ready  to  make 
the  case.  The  best  Bibles  have  no  lining  or  stif- 
fener  of  any  kind  on  the  inside — the  leather  is 
turned  in  on  itself.  To  do  this,  two  pieces  of  zinc, 
which,  combined,  are  the  exact  size  of  the  cover, 
are  laid  on  the  pasted  leather  and  edges  butted 
together.  The  pasted  edges  of  the  leather  are  then 
turned  in  over  the  edges  of  the  zinc  and  the  round 
corners  carefully  worked  out  smoothly  with  a  bone 
folder.  After  the  leather  is  properly  turned  in, 
the  cover  is  made  of  the  right  size,  but  with  the 
zinc  on  the  inside.  The  operator  next  dips  his 
folder  in  water  and  loosens  and  slightly  raises  the 
pasted  edge  or  turn-in,  and  withdraws  the  zinc. 
Then  with  the  ball  of  his  hand  he  hammers  down 
the  pasted  edge,  completely  turning  in  the  leather 
cover  of  the  right  size.  The  stamping  of  the  gold 
lettering  is  similar  to  the  method  used  in  the  cloth 
cover.  The  casing-in  is  all  done  by  hand.  The 
backs  of  the  Bibles,  after  being  rounded,  are 
glued  and  attached  to  the  back  only.  After  the 
glue  has  set  the  sides  of  the  book  are  pasted  and 
pressed  between  smooth  boards  lined  with  canton 
flannel,  and  when  thoroughly  dry  are  sent  to  the 
examining  and  wrapping  table  for  a  very  critical 
examination  before  being  wrapped,  boxed,  and 
sent  to  the  Sales  Department. 

32 


Ciaylord 

liros. 

Makers 

Svracuse, 

N.  V. 

PM.  JAN.  21 

,1908 

^\-^^  ^> 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


III  Hill  mil  Hill  mil  III 


